What’s the only Miracle mentioned in all four Gospels? | Christian Friends of Leket Israel What’s the only Miracle mentioned in all four Gospels? Jesus feeds the five thousand Surprisingly there is only one miracle to receive mention in all four Gospels. The Ressurection of Lazurus can only be found in John, Jesus healing by the hem of his garment appears in Matthew and Mark, and even His walking on water is only recorded in three - Matthew, Mark and John. Only the Miracle of the Multiplication, the account of the Loaves and Fishes is recorded in all four. And rightly so, in it are the keys to being covered in God's blessing and performing miracles in Jesus' Name. When the disciples came before Jesus with only a small portion of bread and fish Jesus could have extended his hands over the meal and have enough for the gathered crowd but he didn't, instead he gave the small portion to the disciples as recorded in Matthew 14:18-21 - “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.

Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children." If you read the words closely you'll learn that the loaves and fishes multiplied in the hands of the disciples themselves, Jesus did not do the work in his own hands, why? I believe the reason the work was done in the servant's hands is the same reason why this is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels - Jesus is teaching us the critical truth of doing God's work. Leket Israel, taking a small portion and multiplying it to feed the multitudes, be a part of it. Each dollar you donate buys five dollars of food for a starving family. Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes and then handed it right back to the disciples. Put yourself in their shoes, what would they have thought hearing Jesus just give a blessing and then asking them to hand out a tiny morsel to share between fifteen to twenty five thousand people? Being human they must have been taken aback by the Lord's request wondering at the seeming absurdity of it.

But they had faith and obedience in God, and the food multiplied as they handed it out to the crowd, with their own hands. We can also think of the loaves and fishes as the talents and treasure which the Lord has given us. In our lives God presents us with many opportunities to perform miracles in the lives of others, giving a hand to a friend or loved one, volunteering at Church or larger acts manifesting God's love. I'd like to challenge you today and ask, are you sitting on what God has given you as a disciple of Christ to work miracles for those around you or have you dedicated your time, talents and treasures to Christ to do his work? THE MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST THE MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST THE MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will become catchers of men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Gospel of Luke 5:1-11 Jesus of Nazareth performed many miracles, demonstrating his power over nature and spirits, and thus confirming that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15). “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Through the above miracle, Jesus recruited his first four Apostles - Peter, his brother Andrew, and James and John. In a physical miracle, such as making the blind see, or walking on water, or calming a storm, the laws of the universe are suspended through divine intervention. In a moral miracle, such as forgiveness of sins or driving out demons, the blessing of Jesus purifies the soul. In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus performed a physical miracle, healing the paralytic, to demonstrate a moral miracle, the forgiveness of sins.

Only three miracles appear in all four Gospels - his own Resurrection (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20), the greatest miracle of them all; the feeding of the 5000 through the multiplication of the loaves, found in Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-14; and, while different individuals are involved (see chart), Jesus heals the blind (Matthew 9:27-31, Mark 8:22-26, Luke 18:35-43, and John 9). The miracle stories are an integral part of the Gospel narrative, as in the Gospel of Mark , where nearly half of Mark's account of the public ministry of Jesus (Chapters 1-10) describes miracles. The ministry of Jesus is centered on the establishment of God's imminent Kingdom, which ended the dominion of the evil one over the world, present ever since sin and death entered mankind.

The miracles were Jesus' chief weapon in the struggle with evil (Mark 3:22-27), the most direct being the exorcism of demons, which defeated the power of evil and liberated humanity. That is why a miracle is an act of power in the Synoptic Gospels, the Greek word being δύναμις, the origin of our English words dynamic and dynamite. John in his Gospel utilizes the word σημεῖον (sign). The word τέρας (wonder) is found in the Acts of the Apostles. The Gospels record twelve miracles in Capernaum, more than anywhere else in the Holy Land. What is striking is that Jesus performs those miracles that, referring to Isaiah 29:18-19 and 35:3-6, were signs of the Messiah - מָשֶׁיחַ.

John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus or Yeshua - יֵשׁוּאַ - "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?" Jesus reassures John and his disciples by naming the miracles of the Messiah: "the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them" (Matthew 11:3-5). Jesus not only heals the leper (Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 5:12-16), but also instructs the leper to show himself to the priest in observance of Leviticus 13-14. Jesus raised three from the dead: the daughter of Jairus the synagogue official (Mark 5:22-24, 35-43), the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), and Lazarus on the fourth day (John 11). The symbolic element of the miracle becomes primary in the Gospel of John .

For example, in John 9, the interest in giving sight to the man born blind is not just the gift of sight, but in his coming to the spiritual insight of faith, an insight made possible by Jesus, the Light of the world. The Gospel of John enumerates seven signs of Jesus: he turns water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana (2:1-12); the healing of an official's son in Capernaum (4:43-54); the healing of a paralytic on the sabbath by the pool in Bethesda (5:1-47); the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-14) before his Bread of Life discourse; walking on water (6:16-21); the healing of a man born blind (9:1-41); and the raising of Lazarus (11:1-57). John also records three appearances of Christ to his disciples following his Resurrection. The miracles of the Wedding Feast of Cana and the Multiplication of the Loaves serve as a prelude to the miracle of the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper of Our Lord.

The third millennium is more receptive to miracles as compared to the skepticism of the post-Enlightenment. Case records of inexplicable cures from cancer, the healings at Tepeyac, Mexico, Lourdes, France, and Fatima, Portugal, and reports of near-death experiences have produced an openness to the miraculous. While Christ Jesus performed innumerable healings and exorcisms (Matthew 8:16-17, Mark 1:32-34, Luke 6:17-19), the following chart lists specific miracles of Jesus Christ during his public ministry, before his Resurrection: THE MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST MIRACLE Why are there different versions of the Loaves and Fishes story in the Gospels? - Busted Halo Why are there different versions of the Loaves and Fishes story in the Gospels? By Joe Paprocki September 25, 2009 This is a little bit like asking, “Why are there different look-out points for the Grand Canyon?” The Grand Canyon is simply too large, complex, and majestic to be taken in from one and only one perspective.

In the same way, the experience of Jesus is too grand to be limited to one perspective. For this reason, we are blessed to have four Gospels – 4 different perspectives of the experience we call Jesus. Each evangelist tends to focus on a different aspect of the story. Interestingly enough, the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes (aka, The Feeding of the 5000) is the only miracle, other than the Resurrection, to appear in all four Gospels. This is an indication to us of the significance of this story which teaches us that Jesus is the only “food” that can satisfy our “hunger.” For Catholics, this food comes to us in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus. I suggest that you prayerfully read the 4 different accounts of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:34-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15) and reflect on each one, not analyzing them for the purpose of comparing and contrasting, but as prayerful encounters with Jesus as seen through the eyes of the four evangelists.

Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes - Crossroads Initiative Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D Only one miracle of Jesus is recorded in all four gospels–themultiplication of the loaves and fishes. Recently I heard a homily that claimed what really happened is that bystanders took out food they were hiding under their cloaks and shared it. Jesus’ preaching inspired the melting of selfishness, and this was the true miracle according to this preacher. My teens would call such preaching hopelessly lame! This was a needy crowd. They could not feed themselves or each other. They could not heal themselves or each other. Jesus was moved with pity and was ready to provide them all that they needed. The apostles wanted to send them away to fend for themselves. And this hits upon the grain of truth contained in the lame interpretation we’ve just mentioned. Though this story is about truly supernatural, miraculous action, it is not about God creating something out of nothing. He says to the apostles “you give them something to eat yourselves.” He had to be joking, they must have thought to themselves. They had nothing, or almost nothing.

Just five loaves and two fish–scarcely enough to serve as an appetizer for themselves, never mind the crowd. But the apostles sheepishly complied when Jesus ordered that they surrender their scanty food supply. He blessed this meager offering and the miracle happened. It was not only enough, but after thousands had eaten their fill, there was more left over than what they’d started with in the first place. It never ceases to amaze me at how much energy we put into making excuses. “I don’t even earn enough to feed my own family, how can I be expected to give?” “I haven’t studied the faith enough to be a religious education teacher.” “I trip over my words when I try to explain my faith–I’ll just evangelize through good example.” Our financial resources, talents, and holiness are clearly inadequate to meet the needs of a hungry and confused world. But what else is new? This gospel commands us to offer these resources anyway, trusting that He will multiply them. Who could have guessed how God would multiply the loaves and fishes offered by an Albanian nun named Teresa when she walked into the slums of Calcutta to minister to those dying in the streets?

Imagine if she had said “No, Lord, this is beyond me.” Imagine if Peter had not reconsidered after saying “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8). Imagine if the apostles had saved the five loaves and fish for themselves instead of offering them to the crowd that wouldn’t have been satisfied with them anyway. “But,” you may protest, “Isn’t this miracle story about the Eucharist?” Absolutely. In the Eucharist we bring the very ordinary work of our hands, bread and wine, and join to this the offering of our very ordinary lives. Through the invocation of the Spirit and the Word of God, this offering is transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, the Bread of Life and the Cup of eternal salvation. We offer him the work of our hands and our broken humanity, and he transforms these things into perfect humanity and life-giving divinity. And with this he not only feeds us but empowers us to feed the whole world. This transformation, this multiplication is a supernatural marvel that is the source of other marvels.

In fact, if we were to unpack just a fraction more of the miraculous power contained in the Eucharist, we, the Church and the world would be forever different. And that’s why the Blessed Pope John Paul II proclaimed a special Year of the Eucharist in the last days of his pontificate–that in meditating more on this astounding gift, we would be prompted to quit holding back. Jesus has given all and asks for all in return. Not so he can take it away, but rather so that He can multiply it. Originally posted on Feb 02 2016 Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio From a colorful and varied background as a professor of theology, a father of five, business owner, and professional performer Marcellino D’Ambrosio (aka “Dr. Italy”) crafts talks, blog posts, books, and videos that are always fascinating, practical, and easy to understand. He is a TV and radio personality, New York Times best-selling author, and speaker who has been leading people on a journey of discovery for over thirty years. For complete bio and video, visit the Dr. Italy page .

Related Posts: The only miracle recorded by all four Gospels | LifeCoach4God 12 Feb The feeding of the five thousand, recorded in Matthew 14:13–21 , is probably the most well known of all of Jesus’ miracles. It is the only one recorded by all four of the gospel writers (see Mark 6:30–44 ; Luke 9:10–19 ; John 6:1–14 ). It is also one that skeptics have most often tried to explain away. A common explanation is that the little boy’s example of generosity in giving his bread and fish to Jesus prompted others to share the food they had brought along, so that there was enough for all. That this was an amazing miracle is beyond doubt. To use a contemporary expression, it was “over the top.” It is impossible to visualize in our minds what it must have looked like, and the extreme brevity of the account tempts us to fill in the details. But we should refrain from doing so, knowing that the Holy Spirit guided the gospel writers to give us only as much detail as He wanted us to know.

Rather than puzzling over omitted details, we need to ask of any portion of Scripture what it teaches us. Without claiming to have plumbed the depths of this passage, let me draw out one obvious lesson: Jesus controls the physical universe, and He exercises that control for His people. Scripture teaches us that the Son of God was not only the agent of creation, but that He also upholds the universe and holds it together by the word of His power ( Heb. 1:1–3 ; Col. 1:16–17 ). That is, He who created the universe in the beginning also sustains and directs it moment by moment on a continual basis. We know, for example, that ordinarily the physical laws of the universe operate in a consistent and predictable manner. The reason they do is because of the consistent will of Christ causing them to do so. They do not operate on their own. This helps us understand why Jesus could perform miracles; in this case causing five small barley cakes and two small fish to multiply so dramatically that they fed more than five thousand people. Jesus, who created the physical laws and stands outside of them and over them, could, as He purposed, change or countermand any of them.

In fact He could, if He so willed, create an entirely new law of multiplication for that specific occasion so that the bread and fish multiplied. We really don’t know what Jesus did, or what the multiplication process looked like. We only know the results, and we know that the Lord of the universe could, in whatever way He chose, produce those miraculous results. Miracles were no problem for Jesus. Today, at least in the Western world, we seem to see few miracles, and certainly none the scope of the feeding of the five thousand. What we do see, however, are the results of God’s invisible hand of providence. Setting aside the theological definition of providence to keep it simple, we may say that providence is God’s orchestrating all events and circumstances in the universe for His glory and the good of His people ( Rom. 8:28 ). Scripture teaches us that just as the Son of God was the agent of creation and is its present sustainer, so too is He also the agent of God’s providence. Jesus is in sovereign control, not only of the physical laws of the universe, but of all the events and circumstances in the universe, including those that happen to each of us.

If you have food today in your cupboard and refrigerator, that is as much the result of Jesus’ care for you as was the feeding of the five thousand. Just as the physical laws of the universe ordinarily operate in a consistent and predictable manner, so providence ordinarily operates in a predictable cause and effect relationship. “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” ( Prov. 10:4 ). That’s cause and effect, and it is generally predictable. But just as Jesus intervened in the physical laws during His time on earth, so He intervenes in normal cause-and-effect relationships. Sometimes from our perspective His intervention is “good” and sometimes it’s “bad.” In either case He is in control “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” ( Lam. 3:38 ). The good news, however, is that Jesus is not only in control of all the events and circumstances of our lives, He is also compassionate. In the record of the feeding of the five thousand, the text says “He had compassion on them and healed their sick” ( Matt. 14:14 ).

At the subsequent feeding of the four thousand, Jesus said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat” ( Matt. 15:32 ). Whether it was healing the sick or feeding the multitude, Jesus was moved to act by His compassion. On other occasions throughout the Gospels we see Jesus acting as a result of His compassion. And what He was while on earth, He is today in heaven: a sovereign and compassionate Savior who works all things for His glory and our good. *SOURCE: June 1st, 2008 @ Share this: Miracle of the Loaves Miracle of the Loaves Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. Only one miracle of Jesus is recorded in all four gospels — the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. I once heard a homilist give what he said was the real meaning of the story: the people in the crowd took out food they were hiding under their cloaks and shared it. Jesus’ preaching inspired the melting of selfishness, and this was the true miracle according to this preacher. My teens would call such preaching hopelessly lame! This was a needy crowd. They could not feed themselves or each other.

They could not heal themselves or each other. Jesus was moved with pity and was ready to provide them all that they needed. The apostles wanted to send them away to fend for themselves. And this hits upon the grain of truth contained in the lame interpretation we’ve just mentioned. Though this story is about truly supernatural, miraculous action, it is not about God creating something out of nothing. He says to the apostles “you give them something to eat yourselves.” He had to be joking, they must have thought to themselves. They had nothing, or almost nothing. Just five loaves and two fish — scarcely enough to serve as an appetizer for themselves, never mind the crowd. But the apostles sheepishly complied when Jesus ordered that they surrender their scanty food supply. He blessed this meager offering and the miracle happened. It was not only enough, but after thousands had eaten their fill, there was more left over than what they’d started with. It never ceases to amaze me how much energy we put into making excuses.

“I don’t even earn enough to feed my own family; how can I be expected to give?” “I haven’t studied the faith enough to be a religious education teacher.” “I trip over my words when I try to explain my faith — I’ll just evangelize through good example.” Our financial resources, talents, and holiness are clearly inadequate to meet the needs of a hungry and confused world. But what else is new? This gospel commands us to offer these resources anyway, trusting that He will multiply them. Who could have guessed how God would multiply the loaves and fishes offered by an Albanian nun named Teresa when she walked into the slums of Calcutta to minister to those dying in the streets? Imagine if she had said “No, Lord, this is beyond me.” Imagine if Peter had not reconsidered after saying “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Imagine if the apostles had saved the five loaves and fish for themselves instead of offering them to a crowd that wouldn’t have been satisfied with them anyway. “But,” you may protest, “isn’t this miracle story about the Eucharist?” Absolutely.

In the Eucharist we bring the very ordinary work of our hands, bread and wine, and join to this the offering of our very ordinary lives. Through the invocation of the Spirit and the Word of God, this offering is transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, the Bread of Life and the Cup of eternal salvation. We offer Him the work of our hands and our broken humanity, and He transforms these things into perfect humanity and life-giving divinity. And with this He not only feeds us but empowers us to feed the whole world. This transformation, this multiplication is a supernatural marvel that is the source of other marvels. In fact, if we were to unpack just a fraction more of the miraculous power contained in the Eucharist, we, the Church and the world would be forever different. And that’s why Pope John Paul II proclaimed a Year of the Eucharist that proved to be the climax of his pontificate — that in meditating more on this astounding gift, we would be prompted to quit holding back. He has given all and asks for all in return, not so He can take it away, but rather so that He can multiply it.

Go to Catholic Exchange homepage Claire Lame is right: I mentioned in this column over the weekend that the priest who writes the gospel commentary in our weekly Diocesan newspaper said the same thing, that Jesus didn’t multiply anything, he just got the disciples to share. Thank you for a much more theologically accurate commentary. c-kingsley I wonder why do all these “smart” people pick on this one miracle? If you don’t like miracles, the gospels are a “target-rich environment”, like that raising from the dead thing. Or do they just like to start with this one? I heard a Jesuit priest preach the lame homily once. Sometime in the next 5 years or so he left the priesthood. I guess once you deny the miraculous, what’s the point in being a priest anyway? Mark 8:19: When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” no, this is better–>> “Well, YOU broke five loaves, and then everyone got out the food they brought with them. What’s your point?

Are you suggesting that YOU fed them all?” There we go, a nice modern translation. nativity The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part One) The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part One) by Martin G. Collins Forerunner, "Bible Study," November-December 2010 2010-11-01 The Miracles of Jesus Christ series: More... Christ's miracle of feeding the five thousand is unique in that it is the only one that all four gospel writers mention ( Matthew 14:13-21 ; Mark 6:30-44 ; Luke 9:10-17 ; John 6:1-14 ). It illustrates Jesus' authority over nature and His divine intervention on behalf of others, showing that He is concerned about both humans' physical and spiritual needs. Jesus is moved with compassion at the sight of thousands of people who had made a great effort to hear His message of hope. Although He is tired after a long day, He embraces the opportunity to teach them and heal the sick among them.

As evening descends, His disciples suggest that the hungry crowd be disbanded to seek necessary food from the surrounding villages, but Jesus has something else in mind. To test Phillip's faith , He asks him how the people could be fed. Not only does Philip learn a lesson of faith, but all of the disciples learn that true faith must rely on divine resources, not physical and material ones. Phillip begins to tally all of the meager supplies the disciples had among them, and somewhat stymied, says, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them." One denari was a day's wage at the time. Then Andrew tells Jesus, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish." Yet, because of their lack of faith, the disciples cannot see any possibility of feeding the great multitude with their scarce funds and the scanty food on hand. However, faith enables us to see that with the omnipotent God , all things are possible. This miracle is a magnificent act of creative power. No amount of human reasoning can reduce this miracle to a natural phenomenon. Indeed, complete understanding of miracles is beyond human capability to understand.

By an act of His own creative power, Jesus revealed proof of His deity to thousands. 1. What is characteristic of Jesus' handling of the crowd? Matthew 14:19 ; Mark 6:39-40 ; Luke 9:14-15 ; John 6:10 . Comment: Jesus is very calm through all of this, for to Him, nothing is impossible. The disciples would have driven the hungry crowd away, but Christ is the One who had given manna to the Israelites in the wilderness. He had provided Israel sustenance in an orderly way, and here, Christ handles it likewise. He commands the people to sit down in manageable groups of fifties and hundreds, avoiding confusion and preventing injury to women and children should the whole multitude surge forward. Order is a characteristic of all of God's ways, as Paul asserts in I Corinthians 14:33 . Mark's description of the ordering of the crowd is very specific. Using the plural of the word that signifies "a garden plot or bed," he describes the people as reclining in sections, so that the separate groups resemble detached garden plots.

As was the custom among the Jews, the 5,000 men sat apart and were the only ones counted. No one knows how many women and children were there, but the number must have been substantial. 2. What is significant about the first thing Jesus does? Matthew 14:19 ; Mark 6:41 ; Luke 9:16 ; John 6:11 . Comment: Jesus gives public thanks to God for the food, revealing the importance of acknowledging who provides everything and from whom blessing comes. Thanksgiving is the primary ingredient in receiving blessings from God. People who neglect a close relationship with God forget to appreciate and thank Him for His daily, continual miracles. Paul writes, "Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" ( Romans 1:21 ). Yet, he commands the saints, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" ( I Thessalonians 5:18 ). 3. Why does Jesus send His gift of food by His disciples?

Matthew 14:16 , 19; Mark 6:37 , 41; Luke 9:13 , 16; John 6:11 . Comment: Christ performs the miracle, but for both practical and spiritual reasons, His disciples present the food to the people. It was more organized and took less time to distribute the food this way than by doing it Himself. More importantly, Jesus and His disciples were becoming a team, and it was essential that they share in His work to have firsthand experience. Their involvement in Christ's generous, compassionate, loving act of providence would be a lasting memory to fuel their faith and zeal in their future apostolic work. Jesus' miracle provided them an opportunity to serve Him, while teaching us lessons in responsible service. Though God does not need us, He gives us the privilege and blessing to be involved in His service. Some people do not wish to be encumbered by a duty at church, but this is a wrong perspective of service. God provides opportunities to serve so that we might experience great blessing. The disciples had a responsibility to give to the people what Christ had given them.

When God gives to us, we are to share faithfully with others, not hoard His gifts for ourselves. Ministers are to preach the whole truth of God and not change the message or withhold parts of it ( Acts 20:27 ). Church members should look out for the welfare of others, sharing our blessings. If we are wealthy with every spiritual blessing ( Ephesians 1:3 ), we should pass them on to others by living God's way of life as a witness. © 2010 Church of the Great God PO Box 471846 The Seven Miracles In John - Gracethrufaith Home » Topical Studies » Spiritual Life » The Seven Miracles In John The Seven Miracles In John Wednesday, December 30th, 2015 This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Summarizing John's Gospel A Bible Study by Jack Kelley In the past I’ve explained the need for 4 Gospels and the tremendous increase in understanding we can gain by comparing events from the different perspectives of each (read The Four Faces of Jesus ). In this study we’ll focus on the unique character of John’s Gospel.

Due to his extensive use of symbolism John’s Gospel, written to the church, can be the most intriguing. Everything he recorded in his gospel actually happened, but he arranged and described them in such a way as to convey additional truth beyond the obvious point of his narrative. Sometimes he even rearranged the order of events to underscore emphasize this additional truth. John 2 is a good example of this. He placed the cleansing of the Temple right after the wedding at Cana to illustrate the point that the Lord came to create an intimate personal relationship with His church (as in a marriage), not to fix a broken religion. The focus of John’s gospel is the Lord’s Judean ministry and really only the last part of that. He devoted most of 9 chapters (John 12-20) to the Lord’s last week and used 1/3 of the gospel’s 879 verses to describe His last 24 hours. The first 11 chapters define the Lord’s ministry through John’s selective use of 7 miracles, and we’ll use them to show how John’s Gospel contains more than meets the eye.

Miracle 1, Water Into Wine (John 2:1-11) This one is misunderstood by most and yet results in the disciples putting their faith in the Lord. (This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His Glory and the disciples put their faith in Him, John 2:11). It seems so insignificant when compared the opening miracles in the other gospels, which involved either casting out demons or curing leprosy. This miracle took place because an embarrassing discovery had been made. A wedding banquet Jesus was attending was in full swing when the servants suddenly realized they were out of wine. His mother, who was also there, asked Him to help. The Lord had 6 empty jars of stone filled with water which He then turned into wine. The master of the banquet proclaimed the wine Jesus had made to be superior to the wine they had served earlier, saying they had saved the best for last. Look at the symbolism: These six stone jars normally held water used for ceremonial cleansing, an important part of Old Covenant life. Now they contained wine, which is often associated with the New Covenant due to the Lord’s Supper.

What’s more, the wine these jars now contained was superior to the wine the wedding guests had been drinking before, just as the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:6). This miracle symbolized nothing less than the Mission of the Messiah; changing the empty way of man’s religion into a living, joyful, relationship with the Lord, as demonstrated by the wedding celebration. Miracle 2, Healing the Official’s Son (John 4:43-54). Here’s an act of God’s Grace, pure and simple. There’s no indication of the official’s nationality or background, his religious conviction or his worthiness, only his faith. He had heard of Jesus and of His miraculous power and begged Him to come heal his dying son. Jesus didn’t go with him but simply told the man his son would live. The man took Jesus at His word and departed for home. The next day, while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his son had recovered. From their discussion he learned that his son had been made well from the very time he had spoken with Jesus. Because of this He and all his household became believers, saved by grace through faith.

Miracle 3, The Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9) Tradition holds that an angel periodically stirred the waters at the Pool of Bethesda. The first one into the water when that happened was healed. Many people who were sick or disabled waited there by the pool day after day for a chance to be healed. But a cripple can’t get himself to the pool in time. This man had been crippled for 38 years and had repeatedly tried and failed. Then Jesus came along and healed him. I believe this man’s predicament demonstrates the poverty of the Law, which was never intended to heal us of our infirmities (physical and spiritual) but to show us our need for a Savior … that we’re hopeless and helpless without Him. He was at the very edge of healing, but all of his unsuccessful efforts to get into the pool had only made it obvious that his infirmity was preventing him from being healed. In the same way, the Law leaves us at the very edge of salvation but all of our unsuccessful efforts to keep it only make it obvious that our sinfulness will prevent us from being saved. Just like the cripple needed someone to heal him, we need someone to save us.

Miracle 4, The Feeding of the 5000 (John 6:1-5). This is perhaps the best known of all the Lord’s miracles and the only one before the resurrection that is recorded in all four gospels. A large crowd had followed Jesus into a remote location and Jesus could see that they would need to be fed. But the men alone numbered 5,000 and adding the women and children could have more than doubled that number. Andrew found a boy with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, and Jesus multiplied it into a satisfying meal for everyone with enough left over to fill 12 baskets. This is the practical demonstration of the Lord’s promise that if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, all our other needs will be met as well (Matt. 6:31-33). But there’s more in view here than just our physical needs. We who believe in Jesus will never again feel that emptiness that tells us there’s more to life than just having our physical needs met. This is what Jesus meant when He said; I AM the bread of life.

He who comes to me will never be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35). Miracle 5, Walking on the Water (John 6:16-25). The 5th miracle is also well known to everyone familiar with the Lord’s ministry. The disciples had labored all night long to row only about half way across the Sea of Galilee (about 3 miles), when the Lord passed by them … walking on the water! When they realized it was Jesus, they let him into the boat and immediately reached their destination. Without Him they were struggling just to make headway, but with Him in their midst the struggle was over. Miracle 6, Healing The Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41). A man had been blind from birth. Jesus made some mud, put it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash it off. When the man did as Jesus instructed he could see. While Jesus performed this miracle early in Chapter 9, the balance of the narrative clearly (and sometimes comically) shows how much more spiritual discernment this blind beggar had than the learned officials of the religion, who had studied all their lives.

In their experience, no one had ever opened the eyes of a man born blind and they were determined to discredit the lowly beggar, especially since this event took place on the Sabbath. A lengthy interrogation followed, where the beggar put the religious experts to shame, and they ended up throwing him out. Afterward Jesus found him and introduced Himself. The man became a believer and worshiped him. Jesus said He came so the blind would see and those who see would become blind. When the Pharisees asked if He thought they were blind He said, “If you were blind you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:39-41). As it concerns your eternity, it doesn’t matter what you claim to know about Jesus. What matters is whether you know Jesus. Miracle 7, Raising Lazarus From The Dead (John 11:1-44). The last miracle John recorded before the resurrection shows the fulfillment of our Lord’s promise to all who believe in His name, as He called Lazarus out of the grave and restored him from death to life.

The text shows that even though Jesus knew Lazarus was sick He actually waited until Lazarus was dead and buried before He responded to the sisters’ call for help. He did this so He could bring Lazarus back to life. It was an unmistakable model of the resurrection of the believing dead that contains the tiniest hint of the rapture. I don’t think people who don’t already know about the rapture see this, but those who do can take comfort in this faint hint contained in John 11:25-26. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). What’s The Point? Near the end of his gospel account John said, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

This tells us he selected these seven miracles specifically for their ability to help us believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that by believing we might have eternal life. So what does these particular miracles show us that would help us believe? Miracle 1 shows He came to take us from the stone cold and empty way of man’s religion into a living and joyful relationship with Him. Miracle 2 shows we are saved by grace through faith. Miracle 3 shows our own futile works are insufficient to save ourselves. We need Him to save us. Miracle 4 is a demonstration of His supernatural care and provision for those who seek Him. Miracle 5 shows that because of His miraculous power, we can easily accomplish things through Him that would be all but impossible on our own. Miracle 6 reveals that if we’ll allow it, He can cause even the lowliest person born spiritually blind to see and believe, and Miracle 7 is a promise that all who believe in Him will live even though they die, and those who live and believe will never die. I purposely confined my commentary on these miracles to what I believe John was trying to convey to us in his gospel.

Some of these miracles are contained in one or more of the other gospels where you might see details John didn’t include or where the emphasis might be a little different. Matthew’s account of Jesus walking on the water is a good example (Matt. 14:22-33). I encourage you to read the different accounts of all these miracles to get the whole story. Selah 04-05-14 richard lloyd cederberg This is so interesting. I purposed last Sunday to start reading the Book of ‘John’ again. And lo and behold I see that you posted this. Hmmm. I enjoyed your excogitations here, Jack. gracethrufaith Thank you. Enjoy your study in the Gospel of John. Sue Thank you for obeying Jesus by sharing what you have learned. My husband and I did not grow up in a Christian home. My husband was a former muslim. Your teaching has helped us grow up faster in our faith in Jesus. It is helping us to turn around and teach others, especially my husbands’ muslim parents. gracethrufaith Praise the Lord!

Priyadarshini Bynipudi Thank you Gracethrufaith. Understood the spiritual meaning of each Miracle in the Gospel. I understood IN JESUS ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, He is The Life, The Way and The Truth. Antonio H. Regio

Question: Which miracle is the only one to appear in all four Gospels?
Answer: FEEDING OF THE 5000